I had the privilege of meeting Karyn Greenstreet earlier this year when she came to San Diego to facilitate a new mastermind group for the American Institute of Certified Tax Coaches. Karyn is a mastermind master… she assists people all over the country in setting up groups.
According to Karyn…
What is a Mastermind Group?
“There is synergy of energy, commitment, and excitement that participants bring to a Mastermind Group. The beauty of Mastermind Groups is that participants raise the bar by challenging each other to create and implement goals, brainstorm ideas, and support each other with total honesty, respect and compassion. Mastermind participants act as catalysts for growth, devil’s advocates and supportive colleagues. The concept of the Mastermind Group was formally introduced by Napoleon Hill in the early 1900’s. In his timeless classic, “Think And Grow Rich” he wrote about the Mastermind principle as:
“The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people, who work toward a definite purpose, in the spirit of harmony.”
Karyn continues… What Will You Get From It?
- Answers and ideas, which come from brainstorming with the group
- Tap into the experience and skills of others
- Increased confidence that you’ve made the right decisions and are taking the right actions to achieve your goals
- Accountability and real progress in your business and personal life
- An instant and valuable support network
- A sense of shared endeavor – there are others out there!
- Design things to be the way you want them to be, not as you’ve been told they “should” be
- A boost to your everyday positive mental attitude
I’ve assembled my own mastermind monthly group, comprised of four other female entrepreneurs who are building scalable businesses. We built the group because we were looking for support and accountability. We meet sometimes at Hera Hub and sometimes in each other’s homes. Each host takes turn making the group dinner. It’s worked for the most part because we have very strict rules…
- If you commit to a date you show up. No matter what.
- We have four simple questions we stick to in our round-robin (after the initial chit chat)
- We keep it positive. It’s not a place to vent but rather focus on forward momentum.
I’ve coined the group the Fantastic Five – I know… not extremely creative, but it works. 😉
Some of the members here at Hera Hub have put together mastermind groups. One of the most notable and well recognized in San Diego is the brainchild of Barbara Eldridge, called Mind Masters.
Should you join a paid group or start your own?
There is GOOD reason to join a group you pay for…
- You’re making a commitment. I don’t care what anyone says… when you put cold hard cash into something you’re more likely to commit to it.
- You’re utilizing a trained facilitator that will be 100x better equipped to support you, challenge you, and hold you accountable.
- There is longevity. I’ve seen so many mastermind groups come and go… you find that people are not really committed and they come and go. It’s a pain to manage and doesn’t ultimately have the right impact.
Think of it this way… You need to cross form Los Angeles to Hawaii… do you swim or take a boat? OK… this might be a little dramatic, but you get my point.
If you’re going to start your own mastermind you must…
- Have a strong leader who will keep everyone on track
- Have clear group norms that everyone subscribes to
- Be consistent – don’t let anyone off the hook
If you don’t have at least 10 extra hours each month (because that’s what it will take to do it well) then I recommend joining an existing group like Mind Masters.
